


rewind

by renquise



Category: VIXX
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 21:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6582487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renquise/pseuds/renquise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanghyuk is pretty sure that Hakyeon was his usual age the last time he saw him today.</p>
            </blockquote>





	rewind

**Author's Note:**

> Please indulge me and this tropey ridiculousness and pretend that this is happening a year from now, so that the ages line up as intended. :Db

Sanghyuk is pretty sure that nothing drastic tends to happens to someone’s age when you don’t see them for a couple of minutes. At least not beyond the obvious aging-by-a-couple-of-minutes. 

But when he finds Hakyeon in the practice room at the end of the day, flicking his bangs into place in the mirror, there’s definitely something off.

“Um,” Sanghyuk says, and Hakyeon turns to look at him.

It takes Sanghyuk a couple of seconds to register the differences: the rounder face, the hair longer at the nape than Hakyeon likes it now, the way his practice clothes fit him a little looser. Hakyeon-but-not-the-usual-Hakyeon looks just as confused as Sanghyuk feels, his eyes wide and a crinkle forming between his eyebrows. 

He rallies quicker than Sanghyuk does, though. “Hi! I didn’t know Sanghyuk had an older brother,” he says cheerfully.

“Um,” Sanghyuk says, and he can hear his voice going squeaky. “I still don’t?”

There’s a long silence as they both contemplate what the fuck is going on.

It takes all six of them together, but they’re able to determine that:

1\. Hakyeon is twenty-two.  
2\. No one has any idea what happened.  
3\. Thank god this didn’t happen right before a comeback.  
4\. All things considered, Hakyeon doesn’t seem too disoriented by the fact that he’s five years into the future.  
5\. If anything, being the youngest and cutest in the room is suiting him just fine.  
6\. Hakyeon at a bubbly twenty-two years old is kind of a lot.  
7\. They really aren’t going to get anything done, so it’s probably best to go home and eat and try to pretend that everything is normal and that this is going to get sorted out by itself. Hopefully before Hakyeon’s morning schedule tomorrow morning, or they’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.

They’re doing pretty good at the pretending-everything-is-normal part. 

Mostly. Maybe. 

Except for Wonshik, who keeps leaning over during supper to whisper to Hongbin, “Oh my god. He’s so small. Were we this small? I don’t remember being this small.” 

Hongbin still hasn’t wrangled his expression back from googly-eyed surprise. He whispers back to Wonshik that Hakyeon isn’t actually _that_ small, it’s just that he’s. Smaller.

Sanghyuk kind of gets it. It’s impossible to escape their pre-debut pictures scattered all over the internet, but it’s different to have the real thing sitting with them at the dorm dinner table and throwing his arms around Taekwoon’s neck. 

“ _Boy_ , the rice sure is nicely cooked, good job, whoever, um, put the rice in the rice cooker,” Jaehwan says loudly, still trying to keep a conversation going and very rapidly running out of topics that don’t relate to why their official group maknae isn’t their current youngest member.

Taekwoon is no help. He already spent all of supper looking a little long-suffering and a lot confused, having long given up on trying to eel his way out of Hakyeon’s grasp. Sanghyuk is still catching him slipping pieces of food into Hakyeon’s bowl while looking very determined to pretend that he isn't doing it, though. 

Taekwoon catches Sanghyuk’s eyes from across the table and raises his eyebrows in a wordless cry for help. 

Sanghyuk shrugs and raises his eyebrows back at him like, oh no, I’m completely powerless in this matter and couldn't possibly scoop up our tiny leader to un-barnacle him from you, can’t be done, nope, and definitely not because the whole thing is super hilarious either, sorry, hyung. 

Taekwoon narrows his eyes at him, but doesn’t do anything except for sigh and push more food over to Hakyeon, maybe in the vain hope that Hakyeon has to loosen his grip to eat.

Sanghyuk gets his comeuppance, though, because Hakyeon flops down beside him after cleaning up the dinner dishes and wraps his arms around Sanghyuk’s shoulders, shaking him back and forth.

“Hyukkie, woooow. You get so big. It’s not fair. I’m going to have to convince Taekwoon to start sharing his coffee with you so it stunts your growth. So you don’t get so big,” he says.

“Hyung, oh my god, stop,” Sanghyuk whines, trying to pry him off.

Hakyeon huffs and lets him go. “You don’t have to be formal with me. We’re the same age right now, aren’t we?”

Sanghyuk glances over at him. Hakyeon is pouting at him. It’s kind of weird calling him hyung right now, but it’s weird not calling him hyung, too.

“You look so big and manly,” Hakyeon moans dramatically. “I can’t believe we’re going to lose our cute maknae. This is terrible. What will we do.”

Sanghyuk wishes they could record this, if only to get Hakyeon saying that he’s manly on the record, but everyone at the company told them they couldn’t.

“Jaehwan is taking it upon himself to compensate for the group’s cute shortage, so I think we’re okay.”

“Ah, right, and there’s always me,” Hakyeon says, nodding sagely.

“Right,” Sanghyuk says. “Except for the days when you’re old and a little decrepit and don’t have the energy. So most of the time it’s up to Jaehwan. He’s doing a good job, don’t worry.”

He ducks away, giggling, but Hakyeon still manages to land a neck-chop.

There’s the familiar bustle of everyone getting ready for tomorrow in the background, with Jaehwan singing in the shower and Hongbin asking Wonshik why he has seven pairs of shoes in the doorway when he only has one pair of feet. It's always been a comforting sound, and Sanghyuk imagines it hasn't changed all that much from five years ago.

Hakyeon hasn’t said anything for awhile. When Sanghyuk looks over at him, he’s staring across their new dorm, at the door to his new room. He pulls his knees up onto his chair and wraps his arms around them, picking at the weave of his jeans.

“It's nice that we're still living together," Hakyeon says at last. "So we’re doing okay, right? Even if you’re all muscley and not-cute now?”

His tone is light, and he's still smiling. But it has that tight anxiousness around the edges that usually appears during the last preparations before comeback. It shows even more now, his face so open and hopeful. 

This Hakyeon hasn’t even done any promotions yet, Sanghyuk realizes all over again. It should be their first soon.

Sanghyuk sits up. It’s weird, it’s so weird, being the one with more experience. “We’re doing okay.”

“Yeah?” Hakyeon says.

Sanghyuk chews on his lip. He doesn’t know if telling Hakyeon about his future is okay. Or if this is even his Hakyeon, if this Hakyeon came from a place where the group just. Won’t work out. 

It doesn’t seem like enough to leave it at that, though, not with Hakyeon looking at him from above his knees and looking really, really young. 

“Um, it’s,” Sanghyuk says. He’s kind of glad that everyone else wandered off to do other things, because it’s always awkward to say these things out loud. “It’s going to be tough for a bit. But you’re going to be a good leader, and Wonshik’s going to help you a lot. And Taekwoon is going to get better with cameras, and you should hear Jaehwan sing now, and Hongbin is going to act, and.” 

Sanghyuk swallows, looking across the room and avoiding Hakyeon’s eyes. “And I’m going to get better, a lot better, I promise.” 

Hakyeon blinks quickly a few times, licking his lips. He lets go of a shuddery breath, his shoulders drooping and relaxing.

“Okay. Okay, that’s good.” He smiles and reaches over to ruffle Sanghyuk’s hair. “I already knew that you were going to be really good, though, that’s not news.”

Sanghyuk ducks his head. It should be weird that Hakyeon, even this young and inexperienced, can still make him feel like this—like he has enough room to grow, like someone trusts him to grow.

He tips over against Hakyeon’s side, bumping their shoulders together. Hakyeon looks surprised, but then hums, pleased, and wraps an arm around his shoulders. 

“Why are your shoulders so wide,” Hakyeon complains without any heat. “What on earth do we end up feeding you?” 

“Gopchang. Lots of it.” Sanghyuk pokes at Hakyeon’s belly until Hakyeon makes a face and swats him away. “Hey, while we’re at it, you should listen to me when I mention a vampire concept. I have great ideas. And don’t abandon me at a gas station. And tell the stylists that black lipstick is a really bad idea.” 

It can’t hurt. He’s pretty sure everyone would agree that messing with the time-space continuum is morally okay for some exceptions. 

Hakyeon rolls his eyes, but squeezes his shoulders again.

They get their Hakyeon back the next morning. He doesn’t remember anything, and the black lipstick videos haven’t been obliterated from the internet when Sanghyuk checks, so nothing really changed. 

“We missed you, hyung,” Jaehwan says dramatically, flopping onto Hakyeon. “It’s been so long. Never leave us again, Sanghyuk might eat us all while you're gone.”

“I didn’t go anywhere,” Hakyeon says, looking confused but pleased. When he smiles, it looks a little more tired than it did yesterday, but also a little more settled, a little less anxious to prove something. Sanghyuk never really realized how good it looks on him. It's nice.

The age thing might be contagious, though, judging by the outburst of cooing from Hakyeon when he goes to Taekwoon's room to wake him up.


End file.
